Walk Through the Valley
by OnlyTheResults
Summary: Jaune. Nora. Ren. Three criminals, three gangsters in a world of low lives dealing with the fallout of the death of their fellow gang member Pyrrha. Team RWBY. An elite police squad dedicated to protecting Vale. Their paths will cross and their lives will irrevocably change. Welcome to Remnant's Gangsters Paradise.


Some kids wanted to be lawyers when they grew up. Some kids wanted to be doctors or firemen. Others dreamt of loftier things such as astronauts or even becoming the president. Few would ever see those kind of dreams achieved, but many others settled on lesser dreams. Being a bartender. Being a teacher. Being a nurse. Some achieved great things in law school or worked hard to get their doctorates and PhD's.

Jaune Arc was nothing like these kids. Oh he had dreams alright, but not even in the same ballpark as the other kids on the block. Ever since he was eight years old he had one, singular goal and dream.

To become a gangster.

Yes, yes, it was an odd dream. Ok, more than odd. Criminally insane dream. But Jaune Arc was not insane, but he certainly was a criminal. His family had a long, deep connection with the old Mistral mafia. His father had been a capo and his fathers father had been someone pretty high up in the ranks. Apparently one of haired great grandpas helped found the damn thing!

They'd fill his head with incredible stories of gun-toting and law defying men who were truly free.

They were strong and tough and always got business done. They were class act men, gentlemen with a side of thieves honor. The policemen of the day hated them, but by god did they also have some respect for them.

Above all else, they were free. Free to live life the way they wanted! Free from societies restrictions and unfair laws that kept them down! That had made Jaune set. He would be a gangster like his ancestors and nothing would stop him!

Of course, getting jumped into a gang at fifteen was a lot different than he thought it would be. A lot different.

But that was two years ago and well...

Things weren't all that better. But they could have been worse. He still clung onto that dream, that dream of class act criminal gangsters. Not what he was. Not what the people around him were. The first drug deal he witnessed put an end to that thinking. He wasn't like his father or his grandfather. They were class act gangsters. He was just a criminal and it was far too late to get out, even if he wanted to.

* * *

Jaune had returned to his apartment building at around nine in the morning. His feet shuffled like he was a zombie and the three stories of stairs he had to climb inspired no joy in him.

When he finally trekked his way up those accursed stairs and to his apartment room, he exhaled in relief.

_Finally, home. _

Inside his little apartment building in Vale, he found a comforting and familiar sight. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie were sitting at their small, run down kitchen table with a pair of old headphones plugged into their shaded scroll. He smiled happily as the two watched whatever it was they watched. It'd been a year since they finally got together together... after Pyrrha...

Jaune grit his teeth. One year and two months since she died. One year and two months of agonizing pain burning in his soul. The first few months were... difficult, to say the least. Frankly, he'd never done as many jobs for his boss as he did then. Hell, it was what got him this position to begin with.

With nothing Nora and Ren left for him, he threw his full weight behind his gang. What else did he have? The three of them were a family of gangsters. They had nowhere else to go.

Besides he still had his dream. The same dream as Pyrrha. He had to carry her dream forward too. To truly become class act gangsters.

So it was with a soft thump that he hit the sofa in their living room, alerting his presence to his comrades. "Fearless leader!" Nora exclaimed as she jumped up to tackle him with her killer huge. Ren gave his usual greeting, though Jaune knew enough to know that was a greeting between two brothers.

Jaune managed to wrangle himself free from Nora's grasp and stood upright, back leaning against the fabric. "Hey guys" Jaune chuckled as his two friends sat and stood before him. The three of them comprised Team JNR, once JNPR. The gang's smallest form of operation was the team, four people that carried out the day to day work of the gang. Drug moving, hits, racketeering, protection or whatever else their boss had them do. Each team had a leader, in JNR's case it was Jaune, and each leader reported to Neo, the underboss of the gang. Underneath the leaders were free agents in the territories assigned to each team in the city of Vale. Free agents were lowlives or thugs, anyone who could shoot a gun or move some dope really.

They were paid by job and let go after that. That's the way Roman Torchwick's gang worked in the city of Vale. Life as usual, really.

Jaune never knew why he was made the leader of one of the teams, not when his friends were so much more talented. Nora had her hammer, plain, but effective. She had some kind of record for breaking and entering, especially given the fact she and Ren had been orphans. Her usual attire was more muted than the rest, a simple black beanie, jumper and sweatpants.

Speaking of, Ren himself used more common weapons. A pair of sub-machine guns he styled in green paint to go with his style. He loved the colors green and pink, as expressed in his green coat. And Pyrrha...

She was the best of them. When she was younger she was a star athlete in high school until she dropped out. Her grades were frankly perfect, and she was the four time long-range shooter champion in Vale.

Of course, till she started doing drugs. Much like others in the gang, what they peddled now was what had brought them in. Same thing with Ren and Nora, who had nowhere else to go. Both of them were orphans, joining the gang as a means of security. Nora was illiterate and despite their skills, no one would have them. No one but the gang.

Jaune somehow was roped into leading them all despite only carrying his old family revolver, Crocea Mors, and wearing his worn out Pumpkin' Pete hoodie. He was an ok shot at best, nothing like his friends, but they'd made him leader.

Something about brining in newbies and keeping them. Somewhere along the line he'd become 'that' leader. Just like some teams specialized in drug deals or hits, JNPR was one that brought in newbies consistently.

Apparently he was good at that.

But that was two years ago. Back when Pyrrha was still alive. Back when he they were all just seventeen. The White Fang was, and probably still is, the biggest threat to Roman's gang. They were a group of faunus radicals demanding total equality through violent means. They'd been brushing up against Torchwick's crew and like so, gang warfare broke out.

Problem was, the White Fang weren't a gang. They were terrorists. Fanatical ones at that. Those kind of people couldn't be bribed or bought by anything. It had gotten so bad that even the Valean Police Force brokered a backdoor deal with Roman to work together until the White Fang was pushed out. Peace was good for business for both gangsters and cops.

It took a while but their little deal made dividends. The White Fang chapter in Vale was broken down, reducing it to a practical rump organization. They were still out there, but they weren't a threat to anyone anymore.

But she died, all the same. It was a victory for Torchwick, for their gang, even for the police. But it was the end of his world.

A simple drive by. A little shootout. Nothing important, really. A days work of shooting back and forth on some street corner until they both scampered off. One bullet. One bullet to the neck.

Jaune killed the supposed shooter, but that didn't bring her back. She died with him and her friends. And that was that. His girlfriend was dead. His best friend was dead. In a turf war, for absolutely nothing.

It broke all of them in their own ways.

Ren had silently started up with the drugs again. Jaune didn't actually find out until six months ago, where he promised to keep it secret from Nora. The two of them would work on ending the young Asian man's addiction once again.

Nora took more risks. More robberies sure, but more chances of getting caught or shot. Her hammer was breaking more than legs and glass windows too. More often than not her botched muggings ended up with broken skulls. She hadn't actually killed anyone until recently in her life, a rare trait in the life of a gangster. Her MO was always leg breaking. Incapacitation. Pyrrha's death stopped that though. Lives were taken instead of legs ever since she died.

As for Jaune himself?

He had become more cold in his life. Sure, with his friends he was... mostly the same, but with his job?

Before, when he had to bag someone, he would do it with guilt. But now, every shot he fired into some poor two-timer or police informant, he didn't think twice. And even behind closed doors, when Ren and Nora were asleep...

He'd play his game. Revolvers were a great tool for Russian roulette. In fact, the only one in his mind. Each night he'd put the gun to his head and pull the trigger, hoping tonight was the night he'd be reunited with Pyrrha.

Somehow, for two years, he'd get lucky. He was still alive and he hated it. He just... he just wanted to be with her. He knew it was selfish, leaving Ren and Nora without a leader, but he was just tired.

"Jaune?" The flat tone of Lie Ren brought him out of his thoughts. There was a concerned look on his face. Ren could probably guess what he was thinking of, and Nora too probably. They'd been close to Pyrrha too but... they weren't her boyfriend.

Jaune shook his head rapidly, causing his scruffy blond hair to in the way Nora just couldn't help but laugh at. "It's nothing guys. Really. Just a long night that's all."

Ren didn't seem convinced but he left it at that. Jaune didn't push him too much on the drug abuse either, so tit for tat was the order of the day. "A drug run?" Nora asked.

Jaune shook his head. He'd have had to have done something to piss off Neo to get that job. That was CRDL's job, thank you very much. "Nah. Quiet night really, just a lot of busy work. Boring extortion stuff. You guys know that the representative for district seventeen of Vale has several pictures of himself in an Atlesian burlesque club?" he asked rhetorically. Nora was about to answer before Ren put a hand on her shoulder quickly. Jaune have Ren a silent look of thanks. Nora, bless her heart, was not as well versed in the nuances of learned things, really. The side effect of a street side upbringing that valued how to get your next meal or where you would sleep for the night over rhetoric and knowledge of the English language. Thankfully Ren took time out of his day to help her learn how to read and write to start.

"All in all, a long, boring night" Jaune shrugged with a yawn. He was definitely down for a long nap sometime this morning. "What about you guys?" he inquired back at them. Ren looked like he was about to answer but Nora exploded in before he could get the words out his mouth.

"ROBBERY!" she squealed with such excitement for something so usually apprehensive that only another criminal like Jaune and Ren could find it adorable. Once again, his friend calmly put a hand on his girlfriends shoulder and simply said

"Nora."

She smiled and unapologetically gave a simple "Sorry!"

Jaune however laughed. This was good. This was nice. This was the semblance of normalcy in their high-risk life. A weird but functional gangsters family. Jaune yawned and stretched out his arms. He was really, really ready for a nap.

Until of course, Ren had to crush his hopes and dreams with that look of his. The look that meant he wasn't getting a nap and that Neo had sent them another fucking email. Which meant he had some stupid job to do. Probably with some gangbanger wanting in on the crew after being a free agent.

Jaune sighed and waved Ren to get him their shared team laptop. The man complied and plopped it into Jaune's waiting hands. His blue eyes scanned the brief email from Neo explaining an interesting situation. "Apparently they've got some chick wanting in on the gang. Says she's got enough cred as a free agent but Neo's telling me that she's a pig." _Well, Neo has never been wrong before_.

It wasn't an unfamiliar job at all. He'd done it before. Undercover cops rarely lived long when sent to infiltrate the gang. Neo could always just sniff 'em out before they had a chance usually. The more experienced ones managed to make it a few months in the gang before being busted or completing their mission. Still, easy job for him. Take her out back and get rid of her? Easy money.

Sighing, the blond teen rose from their sofa and got Crocea Mors from the counter. The sleek blue and brown of his revolver shone in the morning light, the grip perfectly fitting in his hands. Jaune shoved the gun into his hoodie and headed to the door. Nora waved goodbye while Ren simply gave him a simple nod before returning to teaching Nora basic math.

* * *

Downtown Vale always sucked. People were obnoxious, traffic was bad and the smell was atrocious. The restaurants served shitty food unless you were a team leader like Jaune or a sub-boss like Neo and even then, the time it took to get one plate of steak was ridiculous.

It's why Jaune preferred take-out Chinese to eat with his team at their apartment. The blond leader passed by _A Simple Wok _as he walked towards the big dust warehouse he was told to go to. The gang often used bought out warehouses as temporary homes for large quantities of drugs, usually before a big move or deal. They were only there for a week and never more before being moved and at least three teams were involved with moving them.

The warehouse also served as a nice discreet place to shoot someone. Neo had sent him a text over scroll that their would be "initiate" had been directed to the warehouse near the docks in order to meet with one of their "guys."

_Guess I really am the damn recruitment guy. What am I running, a fucking daycare?_

Jaune ran a finger over the hammer of his revolver, an action he'd done time and time before. There was nothing different about doing a cleaning job, so why did he feel so... uneasy.

Jaune shook it off and strengthened his resolve after pushing open the back door to the dockyard warehouse, the smells and sound of the ocean being replaced with the dusty and dry interior of an old dust warehouse.

Almost immediately he could tell he wasn't alone. The police informant looking to join their gang was practically visible a mile away. _Who the hell has pure white hair and wants to join a gang?_ He thought momentarily before remembering she wasn't really here to join the gang.

There was a dim light on, one of many, where the white haired girl was standing and impatiently tapping her leg. Jaune kept his hoodie up as he walked into the light, both hands shoved into his hoodie where he gun was. "You the newbie?" he said plainly as he walked up to her, causing her to snap her head towards him.

The girl was incredibly short, probably smaller than Nora if he was being honest. Her pale white hair was bundled up in a ponytail and one side of her face had a scar running down her eye. "You're the person I was told to meet, yes?"

Her voice sounded so formal, so cold. She must have been new. "Yea. So you want in?" The girl nodded her head in affirmation. Jaune shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against some high-top crates that were no doubt used sometime ago as containers for drugs. "Well, I gotta ask you some questions. You know. How long you've been an associate, your background stuff, the drugs you take, your name. The usual stuff."

She was still stiff as a twig and that reflected in her voice. "As expected. Well, I've been one of your associates for three years now and I've been repeatedly turned to work for your gang."

_Shit. Did her superiors even know how scripted this shit sounds? Why'd they have to send such an Ice-Queen for this job? Maybe they couldn't stand her and sent her this way to shut her up. _It was a grim, if not amusing thought.

The woman didn't stop there. She kept speaking on and on. "I'm proficient with all manner of firearms and know not to partake in the use of the goods we peddle."

Jaune nodded slowly as if to show he was accepting her answers. If she hasn't been a cop, she would have made a great gangster. Well, maybe if she lost the Ice-Queen demeanor.

"And your name, Snow angel?" he asked with a smirk. That caused her to frown slightly and grit her teeth.

"Wei-Vernal."

It was an obvious lie.

Jaune pushed himself off the heavy crates and walked to close the distance with the white haired girl. "Well, you did alright. Sorry to say though, your acting needs a bit more work. I'd say tell your bosses at the VPD to get better teachers but..."

His hand pulled out Crocea Mors and the soft sound of a hammer being cocked back was heard. The girl paled before him. "Don't beat yourself up. We knew beforehand. So it wasn't your fault."

Her eyes, so pale and blue, reminded him of his own gaze. Jaune lifted his arm and pointed the gun right at the most likely rookie cop. "You have anything you want me to give to your family?" He was a gangster sure, but his father had raised him on stories of the gentlemen criminal of his age. He could give her that courtesy.

"Why would someone like you want to do that?"

Jaune shrugged. It was always something he just did when taking a life in this fashion. Shootouts were separate sure, but everyone deserved closure. Even those at the opposite end of his gun.

The girl, who looked incredibly young now that he thought about it, had the look of fear on her face now. It started as shock, then rage and now fear. As if she had fully accepted she was going to die. He'd seen it before. "Come on" he implored again. "You got my word. Whatever closure you wanna give, I'll give it. An Arc never goes back on his word."

She crunched her eyes up and finally sighed. Weiss Schnee, top of her class at Beacon Policy Academy, member of the elite Team RWBY squad of the Vale Police Department, consigned herself to death.

"Could you tell me girlfriend that I'm sorry I... I'm sorry I'm not here anymore. And that I... love her. She's my partner. My partner at Beacon and on the force. Ruby. Ruby Rose is her name. Could you please tell her that?" she finally asked, half pleading. Jaune made a mental note about a Ruby Rose.

"You've got my word." Jaune aimed squarely towards her head. He wasn't the kind to let people die in agony with a gunshot wound to the leg or stomach. No, he'd shoot for an instant death. An instantaneous death was all anyone could ask for when facing down a barrel.

Jaune felt his finger slacken at the trigger. Why wasn't he shooting? His hand gripped the gun and firmly held it, but he could not shoot. Jaune had never not shot before. Not after Pyrr-

That was it.

When he looked down the sights of his gun, he did not see the white hair of a terrified rookie cop facing death, but the red of a now dead lover, friend and partner.

He was about to create another Pyrrha Nikos. No one had ever asked for closure with their SO before. It has always been family, mothers and fathers and siblings. But never this.

How many Jaune Arc's had he created without even knowing? Would this Ruby Rose hold up her gun to her temple every night and tempt fate to try and reunite with lost love?

Jaune's hand shook. For the first time in a long while, his hand shook. His hand had always been steady after Pyrrha taught him how to properly shoot a gun. But this?

The girl was still looking at him with fear and sadness, the sadness of leaving behind a love. For a moment her blue eyes transformed into green ones and he was holding Pyrrha's lifeless body in his arms again.

Jaune closed his eyes and fired with a shaking grip.

The bullet slammed into the crates that the officer was standing against. Splinters flew into her face but beyond that she was fine. Her heartbeat was racing as Jaune looked at her through the smoking barrel of his gun. She had no idea why she was still alive. Why had the criminal spared her?

"Go on. Get out of here before I change my mind. And tell your girlfriend... that you love her."

"Why... why did you?" She began to softly ask and reached an arm out to him before he snapped around and away from her, shoving his still warm revolver into his pants.

"Whoever the hell you are, you died here alright? Tell your bosses that. Or whatever."

Weiss watched as the blond haired criminal practically ran out of the warehouse, her heart beating faster than ever. She was alive. She was alive!

She made sure to take his advice to heart and tell Ruby how much she loved her. How much she valued her.

All the way home, both Jaune and Weiss were kept thinking about one thing however, above all other thoughts.

Why didn't Jaune Arc shoot?

She didn't know why. But she was going to find out with her team.

Who was this criminal, and why did he do what he did?

* * *

**A/N: Small oneshot-twoshot crime AU. Skipping Through Beacon chapter 8 will come out today or tomorrow. We'll see. **

**Hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review with what you think. Want more? Let me know. I live for reviews. **


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